The School Years of Rhys Elwyn
by KGaki
Summary: Rhys is an Elwyn, a noble family with strange psychic abilities, but he doesn't care. He begins his Hogwarts experience with thoughts on how to become his own person, making a few friends and enemies, and falling in love with a teacher along the way.
1. Year One Chapter 1

**Rating:** T - Language, Sexuality, and Graphic Violence

**Warning: **There are many relationships that spring up in this story whether they are **gay, straight, scandalous, or what-have-you.** If you believe that such content may offend you, just know that you have been warned.

**Spoiler Possibilities: **Setting takes place several years after Voldemort's fall.

**"Harry Potter" Universe and Associated Settings/Characters** © J.K. Rowling****

**Finneus Rowland, Charles Grisham, Rebecca McCormick** ****© Kari Tryk****

**Fun Fact: **This fanfic also intertwines with Kerriganlkam's _The School Years of Finneus Rowland_. You should check it out.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

The wiry wisps of the man's hair stuck in almost all directions, making him look incredibly aged and disheveled, yet somehow refined. There was a wild look in his sunken eyes that was accompanied by a slightly crooked grin as he hopped off the wooden step ladder. This man looked completely insane. Nonetheless, the man had a wide grin plastered on his face as he sauntered back toward the front of the store.

"I knew I'd be seeing you here soon enough," he announced proudly, setting another open box atop the front counter. "It's about that time of year where new students begin receiving their letters, am I right?"

There were seven wands, total, laid out across the old dusty countertop. All of them were crafted with the unique and genius workings one would expect from Ollivander, but all of them shared one thing in common that seemed to make the boy scrunch up his nose in disapproval.

"Willow?" the boy spoke softly, slightly raising his dark brow as he stared at the wands through his thick-rimmed glasses. "All of them are made of Willow?"

"A fitting choice for a young Elwyn," the old man reassured; his voice was hoarse with age but still carrying a mystifying undertone that kept the boy, somewhat, entranced. "The same Willow tree that has supplied excellent wands to your family for generations!"

"Is that so?" he replied dryly while running a hand through his spiky black locks only to have them fall back in front of his face. "Including my sister?"

Ollivander nodded, broadening his smile. "But of course! Regina was so pleased, too!"

"I'm sure she was," the boy's tone became more derisive, making the old wandmaker's smile falter slowly. "What else do you have?"

"What else?" the man asked, perplexity clearly etched into his worn features. "These wands do not suffice?"

"These wands are lovely," the boy sighed while running an index finger along one of them. His furrowed brow began to soften into a sullen stare. "But surely you have wands made of something _other_ than Willow?"

"Yes, indeed I do," Ollivander answered warily.

"Master Rhys," the stern voice of the house elf behind him interjected politely. "Do try and not give Mr. Ollivander a hard time."

"This has nothing to do with giving him a hard time. Simply put, none of those wands will work," Rhys explained with a knowing smirk toward the stiff-standing elf at the door leaning into his black cane.

His elf, known as Kai, stared back at him with a hint of skepticism. "How would the young master know if he hasn't even tried one yet?"

"I agree!" The old man exclaimed with an enthusiastic shake of his finger. "I have just the one, too!"

Ollivander plucked a dainty wand displayed on his right, presenting it to Rhys with an eager smile. The boy sighed once more, dispassionately, as he gripped the wand in his right hand. It was noticeably slimmer than the others, its intricate carvings at the grip made it easier to hold onto.

He turned to the more vacant corner of the room, giving one last apprehensive glance to Kai before outstretching his arm with one swift flick of his wrist.

A blue flame burst from the end of the wand with a wild cackle, quickly coiling backward to engulf the young boy's hand before dropping to the cold wooden floor.

"OW!"

"Master Rhys!"

He glared down at his knuckles, which were quickly becoming a dark shade of red that stung painfully even to the feel of the stale chill in the air, before looking back at the old man contemptuously. "Any other Willow wands you want me to test out? I think the next one could burn the entire shop down if I tried hard enough!"

"A strange occurrence, indeed," Ollivander pondered, ignoring the young boy's complaint. "This has never happened to an Elwyn before. I wonder what Nicholas would make of this..."

"_Sir_ Nicholas," Rhys found himself correcting the old man, despite how he tried to bite his tongue.

What would _Sir Nicholas_ have to say about the family wands rejecting his only son? Would he be disappointed or would he simply continue to display his usual indifference as if he could not care either way? It was what Rhys expected of a man who could not take his own son to Diagon Alley and, instead, sent a house elf to be his guide. If he was going to be honest, he could not bring himself to care about what would disappoint that man or not. As long as he was left free to make his own choices like the "mature young man" he supposedly was, then he would take the opportunity to break as far away from his family as possible. Or perhaps, it was just his sister...

"Regardless of what my father would think about this, the wand rejected me just the same as you can plainly see," Rhys snapped with a gesture to his hand, which had turned to a deep scarlet.

"Are you certain it was not _you_ who rejected the wand?"

"And if I did?"

"I do not understand it," the old man stated as he knelt down to pick up the wand. "You and this wand could do great things together if you opened up to it. These wands have always helped all the of the Elwyn family that aspired to greatness."

"I am more than just an Elwyn," Rhys muttered softly. His gaze dropped to his burnt fingers, narrowing in order to maintain a composed expression.

There was a brief moment of silence as the old man stared at Rhys, still slightly baffled. The man's beady eyes studied his customer carefully, becoming more thoughtful as the seconds passed. Phys was started to debate whether the wand was truly necessary after all. He had been so sure when he walked into the old wand shop, but after thinking it over and even having confused the old wandmaker, himself, he felt his own confidence wane. Maybe his selfishness was what was putting things out of sorts, but did that mean he really had to open himself up to something he wanted to be without?

"I understand, young master," Ollivander finally spoke using the formality playfully before disappearing into an aisle.

"Master Rhys, you really should let me treat that."

"I'm fine, Kai," the boy spat huffily, hugging his injured hand to his chest.

"There's no need for you to be so stubborn, my lord," Kai stated under his breath. "You're making things more complicated than they have to be."

"Maybe so," he replied quietly, eyeing the Willow wands warily. "But I don't aspire to greatness, much. At least, I don't think I do."

"Here it is!" the old man exclaimed excitedly as he emerged from behind the shelf. "This one should do the trick!"

Rhys looked down at the new wand with mild suspicion, studying the curved carvings in the light colored wood that was noticeably different from the others.

"It's Holly," Ollivander assured with a broad grin as he beckoned the young boy to take it.

"Holly?" he questioned, taking the wand in hand. "Interesting."

"Give it a wave! Go on!"

With another flick of his wrist, a strong breeze swept past them, cooling his skin with a pleasant numbness while a light shock pricked at his fingertips. He could feel a connection with this wand being established as a sudden heat ran across his skin, making him feel comforted at the mere touch.

"Someone looks pleased."

"I was sure it was about to reject me, but the pricking in my hands didn't even hurt," he explained, still slightly baffled. "What core is this?"

"Veela," the man stated proudly with a small smirk of satisfaction. "It creates a powerful core, but is quite temperamental in nature. Like _some_ people we may know."

Rhys ignored the last comment as he inspected the new wand with insatiable curiosity. "Temperamental? You mean unpredictable."

"The mystery is what makes it so great, young Elwyn."

* * *

><p>"I would rather you let me treat that than shop anymore," Kai muttered as he trotted behind Rhys hurriedly with a minor limp, something the boy remembered the elf having since he was small.<p>

"You're starting to annoy me, Kai," he spat. "I said I'm fine!"

"I'm alright with that," the elf retorted, "if my concern for you is seen as 'annoying' I'll gladly accept the title."

Rhys rolled his eyes as he turned towards Eeylops Owl Emporium, a fairly small shop displaying wired cages of all sizes at the entrance, opening the door to the sound of various hoots and screeches that began to rise as he entered the building. The owls and all necessary accessories lined the walls of the shop and created many narrow aisles with large cages with the bulky birds seeming to glare at them from their perches. Suddenly, he felt unnerved having such sharp eyes staring at him so intently, whistling at him, as if he agitated them somehow.

"An owl already, Master Rhys?" Kai asked. "But we still—"

"We've done plenty already," the boy stated, though he was beginning to doubt himself with every step he took toward the counter, "I'm just ready to buy the bloody bird and be done with it!"

Kai stepped back to put himself behind his master, knowing he would not be able to sway him any further. "As you wish."

"And what brings such a young wizard to my shop all alone this afternoon?" A raspy voice sounded from behind them, making the pair jump up in surprise.

Rhys whirled around to look at the old man whose white hair reminded him a lot of Ollivander. He wore a long dark robe that must have spent a great deal of time sweeping dust up from the floor. He had dark yet gentle eyes that made him the only approachable being in the building.

"My master is in need of an owl before his first year at Hogwarts, sir," Kai explained with a slight bow of his head as he spoke.

The man gave a wry smile with a quick glance to the restless birds. "You came to the right place, lad! Is there any particular _bloody bird_ that you were looking for?"

Rhys found himself disregarding the man's comment as he stepped toward a cage to his right. The owl was tall and slender with silky white feathers with small flecks of brown. It raised its head with a slight tilt, eyeing the boy's injured hand as he held it up against the edge of the copper bars. In an instant, the owl's head dove forward, taking a sharp bite from Rhys's index finger making the boy shout out in pain as he jumped back.

"Master Rhys! Are you alright?"

"What on earth is wrong with that thing?" he hissed, holding his hand to him again as he softly wiped the trail of blood with his sleeve; he took care not to look down as he did so.

"My boy," the man began, seeming shocked, yet still composed, "you can't approach a Barn owl, or any owl for that matter, by challenging it so brazenly. The owls are your companions; you have to establish an air of respect in order for it to accept you."

"I'm not trying to challenge anything," Rhys snapped as he tried to shake the pain from his hand, earning a disbelieving grunt from the elf to his side.

"Well, try another one," the man suggested with a gesture to a smaller owl with various shades of brown coloring its feathers. "Burrowing owls are smaller and friendlier than the Barn owls who have a much bigger pride. They sell very well; in fact, I sold my younger one, Digger, just this morning!"

"Is that so?" he mumbled wryly as he reluctantly held his hand up to the cage.

"Master Rhys! You should use your other hand."

"Why? So I can have _two_ injured hands. No, thank you."

Without any hesitation, the small owl, who seemed content in the bundled nest at the bottom of its cage, leaped up with a shrill squawk as it bit Rhys' fingers twice before he could pull his hand away.

"Bloody hell!" he shouted as he clutched his arm to him. "What's the matter with your birds?"

Before the old man could utter a response, the entire store erupted into a continuous roar of screeches as they all began to fight against their cages in an attempt to get at him. Rhys stumbled back, staggering into three more cages with sharp talons tearing at his shirt.

"Ow!" he cried out, throwing his arm back and knocking the cages over as he went tumbling down.

"Be careful, lad!" The man called out over the shrieking, stepping towards to cages to set them upright.

"I-it was an accident!"Rhys stammered, panic clearly detectable in his voice.

Another distinct cry made the young Elwyn look back to see that he had knocked one of the cages wide open. Razor like talons, dark and slender, gripped the opening before a large head with wide and bright orange orbs glowered at him. The Horned owl emerged quickly, stretching its massive wings in threat before lifting off from the cage with a piercing shriek. Rhys crawled back on his elbows, unable to manage the capacity to lift himself from the ground and run. He could only stare into the wide demonic hues with his mouth open in a silent scream.

"Master Rhys!" Kai shouted as he jumped in front of the boy, brandishing his cane in order to ward off the bird. "Please! Wait outside!"

Without further hindrance, upon the command the boy scrambled to his feet and sprinted from the shop, slamming the door shut behind him in order to muffle the disgruntled cries from the hellish creatures inside.

"Goodness!" A startled witch gasped, stopping in her tracks to stare at the tattered boy sitting at the front of the shop. "My boy, what on earth happened to you?"

He could not gather the breath to reply to the woman, but merely stared up at her in bewilderment. Never before had he felt his heart hammer in his chest like this or been this humiliated in his life; he could not even think of asking the woman for help. He could feel the warmth of the blood trickling over his skin, and he began to tremble uncontrollably, unable to bring himself to look down at it. If he did, he was sure that he would vomit.

The woman knelt in from of him; her honey brown eyes were as inviting and as warm as her smile as she gently reached to touch the scratches on his cheek. Her vibrant burgundy curls fell to the side of her face from beneath her dark green cloak, and light freckles were scattered about her cheeks. A small girl with the same green cloak peered at him from over the woman's shoulder; he guessed it must have been a daughter based on the same shade of burgundy in her short and choppy locks. But the girl's eyes were dark and wide with curiosity, unmoving as she studied his face with a small smile.

"Where are you parents, dear?" The woman asked, looking around from someone who would claim the startled child on the ground.

"M-my elf is inside the shop, miss," he croaked, unable to shake the owl's eyes from his mind. Maybe that was what was so unnerving about the girl; her eyes were wide like that of an owl.

"Tsk, tsk," she muttered under her breath with a disapproving shake of her head. "That won't do. He won't be able to help you with these cuts now will he?"

"You don't have to," he managed as he withdrew his hand away from her before she could grab at it.

"Nonsense, dear," she spoke more sternly as she lightly smacked Rhys's good hand to move it out of the way. "You shouldn't walk about the Alley like this. It's not proper."

With a hard swallow to his, already, shattered pride, Rhys held out his hand apprehensively.

"_Episkey_."

In an instant, the cuts that trailed down his hands closed, along with the scratches on his face and shoulders as she motioned her hand to the rest of him. As each of them healed he felt more relived as the pain slowly melted away from his body.

"Lord Rhys!" Kai shouted frantically as he ran out the door with a curious look to the woman.

"I'm sorry, but you may still want to find something for that burn, dear," she said with another meek smile as she stood up. "I'm sure you'll be alright from here."

"Thank you, miss!" he called after her earning a wave from the woman as her daughter looked back at him.

Her grin seemed like something more of a playful smirk as she waved with her fingers. "Goodbye young lord!"

"Master Rhys, your wounds," Kai commented with a look to his hand. "Did that young witch treat them for you?"

"Out of a strange act of kindness, yes," he replied.

He exhaled deeply as he heaved himself to his feet, not daring to look back through the window of the dark emporium. It was clear that they were too resentful to accept someone like him to be their companion, and something about that thought made his shoulders sink dejectedly as he followed Kai into another building without a word. After another moment, he heard tiny squeaks sounding from all around him before he looked up to scan the area.

"Kai, where have you taken me?"

"It's the Magical Menagerie, my lord," Kai stated with a gesture to the small tanks and cages each holding small and furry creatures. "If you would still like a companion, this would be the next best thing."

"And there are no owls here?"

"Unfortunately, no!" an enthusiastic shout filled the room as a tall wizard in a silver robe hurried his way across the shop to greet them. His wide smile didn't falter even as the young boy only stared up at him blankly in reply. "But the creatures here are no less capable of being a companion suitable for any great wizard! Did you have anything in mind?"

"A cat, perhaps? What do you think, Master Rhys?"

The boy cringed inwardly at the thought of an animal with razor sharp claws and teeth. He did not need to confront another _companion_ with as much pride as he had; he no longer had the energy.

"Well, you may select from my reference book if you'd like!"

"That would be helpful. Thank you, sir."

Ignoring their chatter, no longer interested in having anything to do with _any_ animal, Rhys let himself wander the store, staring blankly into the small tanks of balled up kittens and yawning bats. None of them looked particularly appealing, especially when none of them even spared him a second glance as he passed. He ran his burnt fingers gingerly against the glass, trailing over to the small wire cages with other furry animals that had been too nestled in their beds to pay attention. Until he felt something tug at his finger.

Rhys paused, raising a brow as he stared down at the small rat that had jumped from its bedding to grab onto his index finger. The slender rat was still small, probably only a couple of months old with a sleek off white coat that became a light tan around its face, making appear hooded. "And what can I do for you?" He mumbled at the small creature which tilted its head in question.

It brought its face closer to his reddened skin, and he could feel the slight sting and tickle of its short breaths as it sniffed him. In one swift motion it leaned forward, making Rhys flinch again, expecting to be bitten fiercely only to feel a gentle sting that was hardly unpleasant at all. He opened one eye to realize that instead of biting or even nibbling at his injured hand, the rat began to lap at him with its surprisingly soft tongue that soon began to tickle rather than sting him. He shuddered once more as he chanced to stick his hand through the top of the cage, and place it palm up next to the baby rat, who kept its dark eyes fixated on Rhys. After another brief pause, the rat hopped onto his hand eagerly, trying to climb up his arm with its sharp, but tiny claws.

He could not stop the wide smile from spreading across his lips as he brought the rat close to his chest, admiring its natural curiosity as it tried to explore him, a stranger, with an obvious sense of trust. He brought it closer to his face, feeling less anxious about it, letting it touch its nose to his before letting out a small sneeze.

"Master Rhys! How does a toad sound?" Kai called to him from the counter, looking up from the reference pages.

"That won't be necessary," he stated immediately with another grin as the rat began to lick his fingers again. "I want this one."

"A young one!" the manager exclaimed excitedly as he rushed to the Elwyn's side. "This one is especially well-behaved, but usually skittish when confronted by others. He seems to have taken kindly to you, boy."

Rhys nodded in agreement, too mesmerized by his new pet to pay attention to anyone else. After the horrid day he had in Diagon Alley without a parent or guardian to properly show him how, he felt as if he could finally stop fighting everything and simply accept something and be accepted in return. The fact that it felt so natural alleviated some of the stress from earlier.

"Do you have a name in mind before I sign him away to you, sir?"

"Ynid."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"You're sure you don't want to sit with your sister? She should be somewhere toward the front car," the slender woman asked over the high pitched whistle of the Hogwarts train.

Rhys refrained from rolling his eyes as to not provoke his mother. Though she was usually kind and overly concerned for him, it was easy to incite her Auror temperament into scolding him tirelessly.

"I've already settled into a seat, mother. There's no need to worry." By the time he had stored his luggage into the empty cabin and returned, he found that much of the crowd had already cleared the platform, making it easier to think clearly without all the background noise.

She sighed with a weak smile, tossing her long brown hair behind her before adjusting his glasses and pulling him into a tight embrace. "Alright, my love. Good luck and make your father and me proud!" By proud she probably meant being sorted into Ravenclaw. The very thought of it was enough to give him a dull headache.

"I will."

"Don't forget to write!"

"Yes, mother."

"And to change your-"

"MOTHER!" He shouted over her, feeling his cheeks flush as he pulled away from her and turned towards the train.

"I love you, Rhys."

He paused at the door with a soft sigh, unable to stop the small grin on his lips as he replied. "I love you too."

The train went in motion and he waved to her from the small window until she was finally out of sight. There was a slight heaviness that began to weigh on his chest at the thought of being without her, but at the same time he could not help but feel eager for his arrival at Hogwarts. It was the first step to finding out what he wanted to be and whether he had the power to choose what his future held.

A tiny lick on his palm brought his attention down to a groggy rat that began to poke his head out from his pocket, as if reminding him to stay focused. He stroked Ynid's fur gingerly with his index finger as he walked back to his cabin, immediately noticing that two more people occupied the space. He hesitated at the door, not entirely sure how he felt about giving up a bit of privacy for the remainder of the trip, but it was not like he had any other choice.

He slid the door open, studying the faces of an older boy and a girl he recognized instantly.

"Ah! C'est magnifique!" She squealed with excited applause. She had two heart clips on either side of her head which hardly tamed her short burgundy hair that framed the side of her face. "What a coincidence! My lord 'as returned!"

He could not think of a reply right away, mostly due to the fact that he was caught off guard by such a strong French accent. When he had seen her in Diagon Alley with her mother, he hadn't heard her speak enough to notice it the first time. "It's not 'my lord', it's Rhys Elwyn. And you are?"

"Anna Delano!" She answered giddily as she grabbed both of his hands, much to his discomfort. "It must be fate zat 'as brought us togesser again!"

"I-I'm not so sure," he mumbled as he tried to slip his hands out of her grasp only to have it tighten.

"Come wiz us! Sit here! Zhere is still a long way 'til we reach 'ogwartz! We can learn so much more about each 'osser!" Her eyes were still as wide as he remembered, but less unnerving after hearing her speak so earnestly.

Rhys glanced over to the other boy who seemed to be a bit taller than he was. He sat with good posture, staring down at a book in his lap with choppy golden hair falling slightly in the way of his bright blue eyes. "Um, it's nice to meet you—hey! That's my book you're reading!"

The other boy finally looked up, and Rhys realized that his eyes were actually a lot more of an icy blue than he thought. "Well, there were so many potions books sitting around so freely I thought I'd have a glance," he spoke softly, taking care not to raise his voice to match the other's temper. "You look troubled. Have I made you angry?"

"Slightly irritated, maybe," he snapped while snatching the book from his lap. "Do you make it a habit to browse through other people's belongings when they're not around?"

"Only if their carelessness permits," the other boy countered with a smirk.

"Piss off!"

This time, the boy's blue eyes began to swirl as a pale shade of green slowly tinted his hues over.

"H-how do you know how to do that?" Rhys exclaimed suddenly, losing his anger upon the newly discovered trait.

The boy did not seem taken aback but merely shrugged at the question before simply answering, "I've always been able to do this since I was a little kid. It's natural, I suppose."

"That's brilliant!"

"I guess our lord iz quick to anger until somesing interesting piques 'is curiosity!" Anna giggled with a playful poke to his cheek.

"Stop calling me that!" he grumbled. "And stop touching me!"

"You said you were an Elwyn, right?" the blonde interrupted, making the other two fall silent. "It kind of makes sense, then. The way you act sometimes is that of a 'young master' isn't it?"

Rhys raised a suspicious brow, unable to tell if the boy was being sarcastic or just stating the obvious. "Yeah... if you were my _servant_. Otherwise, I'm just _Rhys_."

"Ah! But my lord, who would not want to follow a master as cute as _you_," Anna interjected with a devilish grin that both confused and intimidated the young Elwyn.

"That's not funny," he stated blankly, trying to keep himself from shouting anymore. Getting angry with everyone and fighting everything had not worked out for him thus far, but it was hard to let strangers act so familiarly with him. Perhaps, he needed to change that about him in order to become the person he wished to discover.

"But, my Lord!" the other boy cut in, his eyes now a light hazel. "Using just your name would be a disgrace to your namesake! We should do all we can to prepare you for your sorting into Ravenclaw!"

The mere mention of the house was enough to make his entire body go tense as his eyes turned cold as he glared over at the blonde. Of course, anyone with basic knowledge of the noble Elwyn family would know that family members have been sorted into Ravenclaw for generations, but the timeless tradition was hardly of any console to Rhys, especially when they hadn't even stepped foot on the castle grounds yet.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Linneus Gale, my lord!" he announced with a dramatic bow. "Third year Gryffindor at your service!"

"As much as I appreciate the mockery," Rhys spat sardonically. "I congratulate you on annoying the hell out of me, Linneus. Now, could you _shut up_ for the rest of our journey?"

Linneus stared at him for a moment, his expression unreadable as his eyes changed back to blue. He let out a tired chuckle before daring to reach out and ruffle the first year's dark hair. "You really are like a spoiled prince. But I will do as my master wishes," he proclaimed with a laugh before pulling out his own book and continuing to read.

He knew that he should have felt slightly guilty for being so demanding of anyone, especially someone he knew so little about, but he was not about to stand for their childish hounding when they knew nothing about him as an individual.

"So, a Lord Elwyn, iz it?" Anna pondered aloud, breaking the awkward tension that had settled into the small space. "Zat iz a very important family, no?"

Rhys looked at her skeptically for another moment before decided that she was genuinely confused. "You don't know anything about the Elwyn family, Anna?"

She shook her head with an innocent shrug, seeming to want an explanation. For a moment he felt a sort of weight lift off his shoulders as she continued to show signs of puzzlement. It was the first positive thing he was taking away from the entire train ride.

"For now, just keep it that way," he insisted with a shake of his head, feeling a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Enchantée, Anna."

"It iz a pleasure, young lord," she replied without missing a beat.

Her smile was too radiant and contagious for them to ignore.

* * *

><p>There was a piercing whistle followed by a hiss that was barely enough to stir him, but it wasn't until the spine of a book came down on his head that Rhys jumped to full attention, too dazed to seek out his attacker.<p>

"Young master," Linneus's voice cut into the light hissing. "We're here."

"What?"

The three hurried onto the platform, dragging their luggage to nearby stacks.

"Follow me, now! This way, firs' years!" a deep and gruff voice called over all the noise, making Anna and Rhys look to each other in apprehension. Linneus took a step back with a short wave; it was hard to tell what color his eyes were in the dark. "Good luck to the both of you. I'll be cheering you on the entire way, not matter _what_ house you're sorted into," he said encouragingly with a quick wink to Rhys before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

"Well, 'e waz certainly friendly, no?" Anna commented while putting a slender finger to her chin in thought.

"It could have been worse," Rhys shrugged. He did not want to admit that his parting words actually made him feel somewhat reassured.

They followed the others to the lake which appeared pitch black save for the still reflection of the castle lit up in the distance. It stood so proudly before them that Rhys couldn't help but feel overwhelmed as he practically jumped into a boat with Anna. His body began to shiver with excitement and anticipation. This was the first time he was going to set foot in Hogwarts and tonight he would be sorted into a house, but which?

Before his thoughts could dwell too long on the depressing matter he felt Ynid licking at his left palm while Anna impatiently took hold of his right. At this point, he was not about to shake her off. In fact, it felt kind of nice having someone so at ease next to him.

"CHARLIE!" A shout cut into the stillness of the night, making everyone around them look to one another.

"What do you suppose iz 'appening?" Anna whispered, her eyes still searching for the one who shouted.

Rhys shrugged it off, too preoccupied with his excitement to really care. "Not anything that we should have to worry about."

A few moments later the boats suddenly lurched forward, taking everybody by surprise as they travelled into across the black waters and towards the wonderment that awaited them on shore. Rhys looked to Anna and couldn't keep himself from grinning. As soon as their boat stopped the two sprang to the dock and ran to be one of the first in the group being led to the castle entrance.

After a few parting words from Hagrid, the attention was shifted to a ghastly and withered man name Argus who wordlessly led them up the wide stone staircase. When they reached the tall dark double doors, he finally turned around he seemed to be scowling at everyone along with the wild haired cat that sat at his feet.

"All right," his voice was as strained and raspy as Rhys imagined. "Normally I ain't the one bringing you in, but listen up anyways. This is the first year here at Hogwarts for the lot of you, and before you can sit down and eat, you've got to be Sorted."

"We all know that part." The indignant tone of the speaker, whoever it was, was enough to make Rhys roll his eyes toward the ceiling.

"Well, some of you _don't_, so I suggest you keep your trap _shut_ and let me _finish_," Argus spat bitterly. "There are four houses here in Hogwarts, and the lot of you will be Sorted accordingly. You'll be livin' with that house while you stay here, and the better you do here, the more points you can earn for your house towards winning the House Cup at the end of the year. So don't lark about the halls, breakin' rules, or you'll get those points taken back, y'hear?"

Rhys nodded stiffly along with others around him, afraid of possibly irritating the man any further. His voice may have been rough, but there was still an undertone of sincerity that made him seem less threatening. Argus Filch, as Rhys had been told, was the mildly sadistic caretaker who probably meant well. As aged and as worn out as he looked, he hardly seemed intimidating at all.

"As a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, you're expected to be good respectable students, and not cause trouble. And as Caretaker, it's my job to watch and make sure you do just that. Now, the ceremony for Sorting will begin shortly, so everyone get in line while I'm gone."

The students shifted nervously and Rhys pulled Anna behind him so she would be close enough for comfort. The night was boiling down to this moment and he could feel the pressure closing in on his body. When Filch reappeared, he opened up the double doors to the main hall, letting a pleasant warmth wash over them as they marched into the room to the sound of applause. His eyes trailed upwards as they walked, taking in the magnificent view of the night sky that floated elegantly above them.

"Young lord, 'zis place iz so beautiful, no?" Anna gasped in astonishment, earning a stiff nod in reply.

Two long rows of tables sat at either side of them as they passed with all the students from the different houses continuing to cheer them on. Rhys caught a glimpse of a golden blonde before briefly hearing "My lord!" being thrown into the various shouts that filled the hall, but it did not bother him as much anymore.

He turned his gaze forward, as they came to a slow halt toward the center of the room, in front of the teachers' table that stretched across the entire hall. His eyes scanned the table slowly, trying to see if he could recall any of them by word of mouth alone. For a moment, he came in contact with an icy stare displaying the young man's own bitter indifference, making Rhys shudder in discomfort before focusing his attention back to the small wooden stool that had been set before them with an aged old hat placed atop it. Rhys knew exactly what he was looking at, but he was not able to comprehend how such a disheveled and tattered thing could be the final decider in the end.

The hat gave a noticeable shudder as it came to life, the brim shifting as it suddenly began to sing. Rhys closed his eyes as he listened to the tale, remembering how his sister would often hum the tune under her breath from time to time. The two sounds in his mind created a wonderful harmony as the hall fell silent to listen. As the song came to an end the festive energy quickly resumed as everyone joined the applause, even the disgruntled Filch and the dark dressed teacher at the table.

"Now, I'll be callin' your names, and you'll come forward, and the hat will sort you into your new house," Filch announced as he held out a long scroll in front of him.

Rhys felt as if he had been holding his breath the entire time. One by one the students went up before the Sorting Hat shout proclaim their house name proudly, but when would it be _his_ turn?

"Arianna Delano."

In that moment he felt the grip on his hand disappear as Anna naturally skipped towards the stool, looking as optimistic as ever. He would have never known that her name was Arianna.

The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, not earning any sort of reaction from her as she waiting patiently.

"Of course it should be," the Sorting Hat began, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Another uproar of applause ensued as she hopped off the stool, catching Rhys's eyes happily as she passed to join her house. For some odd reason he felt disheartened that she was put in Hufflepuff, but he wasn't sure why. Surely his possibilities were just as open as anyone else's, so he could easily end up with her as well. He tried to shake the thoughts from his head; in the end, it seemed he was still waiting expectantly to be Sorted into Ravenclaw...

"Rhys Elwyn."

All the noise seemed to be sucked from the world as the pressure in his ears built. He took each cautious step towards the stool before turning around to stare at all the people who suddenly became faceless in his vision. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head, feeling much lighter than he expected before he jumped as it suddenly spoke up. "Ah! Another Elwyn, I see! Ready to join your sister in Ravenclaw, yes?"

_No!_ His body became overwrought at the thought of it as his stomach pulled into numerous knots.

"No? But it is only natural for an Elwyn to be placed in Ravenclaw! What with your gifts being passed down each generation. It is only natural that Ravenclaw would aid you in your quest!"

_I have no gifts! I just want to decide things for myself!_

"You cannot deny the talent that lies within you, young Elwyn," the Hat retorted gruffly.

_I AM MORE THAN JUST AN ELWYN!_

"Right, you are," the Sorting Hat mused aloud before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The answer was so abrupt that he had to take a moment to gather his thoughts before the sound of everything else came back into focus. He was ushered to his table, earning countless pats on the back as he took his seat, still dumbfounded. Rhys looked up at his fellow housemates, sporting crimson and gold which he found to be warmer and more inviting than the blue and bronze he was expected to bear. He caught another glimpse of Linneus who sat a bit farther down from him, but smiled at him approvingly, all the same. The moments after passed by in a state of astonishment, and he was only able to catch a name or two as they were sorted into Gryffindor. _Grisham... McCormick... Rowland..._

The room became silent once more as the last student joined their house as the woman who sat at the center of all the teachers finally stood up. She was an elegant woman who wore a pointed hat and a long emerald cloak. She had strong eyes that seemed to capture everyone in a mystifying trance.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, first years, and welcome back to the rest of you. For those of you just arriving, I am Professor McGonagall, Headmistress. I'd like to thank Mr. Filch, our Caretaker, for taking care of those of you arriving, as well as Professor Hagrid." After the applause, she continued. "A few announcements before we begin our feast. As the rest of you are well aware, first and foremost, the Forbidden Forest on the edge of the Hogwarts grounds is strictly forbidden to all students, and I caution you all not to test such a rule. Second, we have a new professor this year. Oliver Wood, returning Alumni, will be taking the place of Madam Hooch as our Flying teacher. Welcome back, professor."

Applause roared throughout the hall once more as the tall man dressed in blue robes stood up for a short bow.

"Oliver Wood? As in _Puddlemere United_ Oliver Wood?" Rhys uttered in bewilderment.

"I suppose so," a girl replied with a shrug as she continued to clap.

"I never thought _he'd_ leave the team to be a _teacher_," he elaborated, still trying to register that a professional Quidditch player would be found teaching at Hogwarts.

"He got injured during the last World Cup," the Grisham boy stated knowingly, "You don't remember that?"

"I thought he was down for the rest of the season, not his career!"

"It's a shame, actually," the blonde boy admitted with a slight frown.

"And third," she continued, "I will remind all first years that you are _not_ permitted to try out for Quidditch teams this year, _despite_ any talents you may possess, however you are welcome to when you return _next year_." She shot Wood a quick glance, making him avert his gaze while trying to feign innocence. "With that said, let the feast begin!"

Without missing a beat the food appeared before them, decorating the entire table; the look and smell of it all was enough to make Rhys's mouth water. As he began to devour his meal he heard someone mention not being hungry, but how could they pass up something as tantalizing as this? He had heard that the food at Hogwarts was amazing, but he could never have fathomed just how amazing it truly was.

"I'm Rebecca, by the way. Rebecca McCormick," the girl with the reddish blonde hair introduced herself to the Rowland boy as she shook his hand under a bowl of biscuits.

"I'm Finn. And this is Charlie," he returned the gesture as his friend adjusted his oval spectacles.

"Charlie Grisham," the blond said as he shook her hand.

To his surprise her attention suddenly turned to Rhys as she held her hand out to him. He studied her for a moment, not sure of what to make of the gesture before shrugging it off and shaking her hand. "Rhys Elwyn, nice to meet you," he said before taking a gulp of pumpkin juice.

The introductions continued down the table with each person being just as excited to know his name as the next. This continued even as the feast came to an end and Rhys felt so full and over-talked that he could barely move himself. Before Rhys could even open his mouth to mention that he couldn't possibly eat another bite, the feast disappeared in an instant before just as quickly being replaced with dessert.

Rhys looked to Charlie with a smirk that clearly said _I will regret it later_ before he chuckled, "This just gets better and better."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"See what you're exploring has done?" He asked under this breath as he set the tranquil creature on his shoulder as he started up the steps. After going back to the main hall to find Ynid curled up on the bench, Rhys had to sprint back down the corridor towards the staircase in order to catch up to the rest of the first years.

"It has only been a couple of hours but we already have a young Elwyn that has lost his way?"

He stopped immediately at the mention, his expression as composed as ever as he turned around to face the speaker. "Well, this is happening sooner than expected."

The seventh year girl offered him a small smile from the base of the staircase as she leaned against the railing. She had dark green eyes, identical to his, with long and wavy black hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail. The Head Girl patch seemed to glow from her robes, creating a sharp accent to the Ravenclaw colors.

"I had to keep an eye on you during the sorting or else I would have lost you again," she admitted with a light shrug, her mannerisms seemed so much more relaxed than he remembered.

"Regina, can this wait? I've already lost my group," He explained with a nervous glance up the stairway, still busy with students.

"Can what wait? Is there something wrong with a sister wanting to greet her little brother upon his arrival?" She asked innocently as she made her way up the stairs. "I've been with father for most of the summer and you barely sent me any letters."

"I figured you were too busy to talk to me. And I'm sure you have plenty more to say than that," he grumbled. "Something along the lines of disappointing father and the Elwyn family for not upholding to _tradition_ by being sorted into Gryffindor."

She stopped just two steps below him, her smile becoming weak after what he had said, but he was determined to hold his ground. Without a word she reached out and ruffled his choppy locks, making him whine out loud as he tried to brush her off.

"Crimson and gold suit you better; it's much warmer," she stated softly before continuing her way up the stairs. Before she reached the top she looked back at him, her cheerful smile returning as she added, "Nice owl."

The entire conversation had gone differently than he thought, and only made his stomach feel unsettled. Even though he wanted to break away from his family, he would never be able to shut Regina out; he knew he looked up to her. He felt his chest deflate in agony as she turned the corner, reminding him to hurry up before he lost his classmates altogether. Ynid hopped into his hands as he turned another corner and slipped the rat back into his pocket as he finally reached everyone who was crowding around a prefect in front of a painting.

"Password?" The lady in the painting asked sternly, looking down at the prefect boy.

"Tempus fugit," he answered plainly. With a short wave of her hand the painting swung aside to reveal a dark opening into the Gryffindor common room.

They were ushered in until all of the first years stood in the center of the common room which consisted of with numerous chairs and sofas and a grand fireplace that crackled modestly at the other side of the room. The room itself gave off a satisfying warmth that was altogether soothing and made Rhys feel at ease once again.

"This is the Gryffindor common room. Make sure not to forget the password," the female prefect spoke up, "Girls follow me and I'll lead you upstairs to your dormitory."

"Boys, follow me," the boy called out as he began to walk up another staircase.

It was then that Rhys spotted the two boys that he had been sitting with earlier, feeling relieved to find familiar faces in the crowd. He trailed behind them silently after they said goodnight to Rebecca, who gave him a short wave before she followed the rest of the girls.

As soon as they arrived in the dormitory, he immediately spotted his belongings stacked at the foot of a comfortable looking bed. The thought of sleep seemed outlandish, at the moment, but after such a large meal and feeling so comfortable in the common room, his body seemed to ache for it.

"Talon!"Charlie exclaimed happily as he picked up a small cage, though Rhys couldn't quite tell what it was.

"All of your belongings should be accounted for," the prefect explained almost mechanically. "Since I'm in charge of you lot for the next week or so, if you have any questions, you ask me."

"What's your name?" He found himself blurting out, though he felt as if the introduction was long past due.

This earned him a slightly disgruntled stare before he received a reply. "Stephens. Artie Stephens. Just ask for me."

"All right. Thanks, Artie," Finn added meekly with a tired wave.

After the door had closed, Rhys opened his trunk and began to dig around for his pajamas, feeling his exhaustion begin to nag at his eyes. As he tried to button up his flannel shirt he realized that his fingers were trembling so much that it was almost impossible. It had not, entirely, struck him until then that he was a first year at Hogwarts and he had been making his own way from the very beginning. A life that was beginning without the Elwyn tradition to dictate his every move was something to be excited for. He felt a small smile beginning to curve his lips as he pulled the sheets back and climbed into bed.

However the contented feeling immediately dissipated upon hearing the words, "You should let your owl out."

His eyes shot up to look at Charlie and Finn, who was eyeing a large cage to his right. His muscles went tight as he gripped the sheet of his bed, unable to think of what to do next.

"Let him fly around outside tonight. I bet he's itching for a hunt."

"Don't you dare let that thing out in here!" he demanded coldly with a slight glare, catching the both of them off guard. They were confused; of course they would be. They had not gone through the god awful experience that he had and, with his luck, Finn's bird would turn out to be as homicidal as the rest.

"Why not?" Finn asked, raising a brow in question.

"Just - don't," Rhys finished with a childish huff, pulling the sheet over him and turning his back to them. He felt his knuckled crack after clenching them so tightly upon hearing the movements of the cage and the slight clicking of the owl's beak. Finn had definitely taken that bloody bird out of the cage. Rhys curled in upon himself, closing his eyes as tight as he could in order to find the comfort enough to sleep.

His heart was pounding so hard that it almost hurt to breathe. Minutes began to pass as he tried to remain still and drown out the others' continued conversation about the owl. Even when he covered his ears they had continued, making Rhys roll his eyes in annoyance before attempting sleep once more.

"What would you name an owl if you had one?"

_I'd name it Shut-the-Hell-Up!_

"Tenley," came Charlie's immediate response.

Actually, that was a good name. It sounded very noble, especially if such a small thing was going to grow into it.

"...When I wanted an owl, I wanted a big Eagle Owl. I love them. And this one time I saw one in the shop, and he was black and copper, and I told mum I wanted him, but we couldn't get him because - "

"Some of us are _trying_ to sleep," he spoke up, irritation clearly detectable in his voice.

Despite that, the two continued to speak in hushed whispers, both sounded excited for the next day which was quickly approaching. He sighed quietly, holding his tongue to refrain from joining their conversation which he probably was not welcomed to at that point. The chatter began to start up as others began to catch on to their enthusiasm; Rhys tossed a pillow across the way and told everyone to "_kindly_ shut up."

At last the talking stopped as the pillow was promptly returned to him. A part of him felt relieved, and yet still unsettled as he realized he had fallen back on old habits. Neither of them seemed to know the value of his name, and it was not often that he came across people who were eager to shake his hand or talk to him because they wanted to. He had been sorted into Gryffindor which meant he needed to cast off his usual off-putting demeanor.

Tomorrow, he would start fresh and not work so hard at pushing them away.

* * *

><p><em>He went tumbling down into the soft sand in a frightened daze. His eyes scanned the area frantically, unable to focus on anything in the darkness that shrouded his vision. Something was moving in the sand, unsettling his balance as the creatures began to surface with threatening hisses. <em>

_Snakes?_

_He staggered to his feet, feeling as if his entire body was made of lead as it dragged across the fine sand, sinking further as the snakes began to circle around him slowly, waiting for him to fall completely. _

"_Help me!" His voice cracked into nothing more than a hoarse croak, feeling his throat had become too dry to speak. "Some... one..."_

_A sharp pain shot from his leg as a serpent lurched forward to sink it's fangs into his skin and he let out another strangled cry as he fell to his knees. Fangs like daggers began to pierce him as they finally captured him, their bites burning into his flesh like acid making his scream turn shrill as he continued to try and crawl to safety. He could feel their long bodies coiling around his legs, dragging him further into the sand as he tried vainly to dig his nails into the soft earth. _

"_PLEASE HELP ME!" He shrieked, the terror in his voice echoing into the emptiness._

_Once more he reached his hand out to try and claw his way from their burning clutches, grabbing onto some sort of plant that easily broke away from its roots. Fire surged through his body as if a poison were trying to erode him away from the inside out. His vision blurred, throat too dry to attempt another useless cry. As he was pulled into the darkness below, his eyes trailed to the plant in his hand, a small budding flower, slightly pinkish-purple in color with a stem dotted with small dark berries. _

_The plant was something he had never seen before, but that quickly became irrelevant as he was pulled even further into the earth, completed engulfed._

_Darkness was total._

With a sharp gasp Rhys shot up from his bed, panting heavily as he threw his arms out to ward off any enemies, only to realize that there was merely silence. Slowly, he opened his eyes to the familiar surroundings of his dorm, the other boys sleeping soundly in their beds, undisturbed by his violent awakening. A bead of sweat ran down his brow and he threw his blankets off him in order to let the air cool his burning skin. He rolled up his sleeves and pants, sighing with relief to find that there were no marks or even bruises to be found anywhere.

"Not again..." he whispered despairingly as he ran both hands through his hair to try and clear his head. It was easy to forget about his nightmares when he was so excited and hopeful about the day to come. "That can't happen... Not here..."

He frowned with a glance to the window on his right. The sky was beginning to glow a dark blue, readying itself for the arrival of the sun and he knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep with his heart still hammering in his chest as hard as it was. It was times like these that he cursed himself for his namesake and, at the same time, really wished that he could rest with the thought that Regina could, at least, be close by to comfort him when he awoke like this. She had been fortunate enough to receive her gift to foresee such wonderful and prosperous things while he remained confused about the dark images he was forced to endure each night.

"It doesn't mean anything," he told himself sternly, trying to instill his lost confidence. He slipped out of bed, quietly opening his trunk with a nervous look around to make sure the others were still sleeping. Rhys looked back down with a sigh as he pulled his school robes out and began to undress; he knew too well that trying to go back to sleep would only frustrate him more.

Might as well start his day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

The few hours he was alone in the common room were spent staring listlessly at the fire. When he heard two familiar voices from the staircase, he looked back to see Finn and Charlie who looked at him with tired smiles. He took it as his sign to finally stand with a weak yawn as he joined them.

"I'm really sorry, Rhys," Finn spoke as his head sank slightly.

"Yeah, our conversation kept you up, didn't it?" Charlie added, looking somewhat dejected as they both stood before him awaiting his response.

For a moment he only stared at them before recalling what they were talking about. Compared to the real reason he had gotten such terrible sleep, he had completely forgotten about trying to get to bed. "O-oh! No, don't worry about it," he assured as he fought back another yawn. "To tell you the truth, I really wanted to talk to you guys too, but I was tired and not really used to asking, I suppose."

He scratched the back of his head nervously as they both smiled at him, feeling more relieved as he opened up to them. As they approached the Great Hall the thick and sugary-sweet scent of breakfast wafted to his nostrils, making him close his eyes with a relaxed sigh. The smell alone was enough to make him feel rejuvenated and he walked briskly towards a vacant area.

"Here's a spot," he pointed out as they secured themselves between other students and eagerly filled their plates.

"This tart is fantastic," Charlie hummed with a delighted smile as he held it up to Finn.

Finn popped it into his mouth before his lips quickly curved into a pleased grin. He grabbed another piece from the table before offering it to Rhys who took it immediately before his better judgment could turn the boy down. He chewed slowly, at first, letting the sweetness melt into his tongue as he closed his eyes once more to savor the taste of it. Rhys could not help but let a satisfied smile settle into his comfortable expression as he nodded in agreement with the other two.

The troubled thoughts brought on by his nightmare were slowly starting to fade into nothing as laughter and the continued conversation with his housemates were all he was becoming conscious off. The exhilaration and happiness mingled together so that he could not keep himself from smiling no matter how much his cheeks hurt. Sitting at the Gryffindor table with such nice people were things he never dreamed possible until last night. The nightmare was absolutely meaningless, he thought with an assured nod to himself. With newfound confidence, he was determined to make the best of his time at Hogwarts, and not spend it worrying over such trivial matters that no longer concerned him. Being an Elwyn had nothing to do with it.

A muffled "Hey!" from Charlie brought Rhys's attention back to the table, realizing that everyone was looking toward the ceiling. A loud screech echoed overhead, making Rhys freeze in place as his eyes slowly trailed up to notice the swarm of owls that had entered the Great Hall with packages and letters in their beaks and talons. The other boys shared looks of excitement as the owls circled the hall, coming closer to them with continued squawks that only made Rhys flinch inward.

"Rhys?"

He felt his body begin to shrink back the closer the birds came, unable to reply to the speaker. It wasn't until he was almost completely under the table that he remained still, eyes shut tightly as his body trembled anxiously. Perhaps if he put himself out of their vision he wouldn't be attacked and murdered by a flock of birds before his first class. The sounds of packages and envelopes hitting the tables finally began to disappear after a few moments, giving him a bit of courage before he dared to peek over the table again.

"They're gone," Charlie stated, slightly puzzled.

He felt two arms wrap around him and pull him back into his seat, making him realize how stiff his entire body had become. His fingers felt cold as he massaged his temples in order to regain focus.

"Don't like owls, huh?" Charlie asked.

"Hate them," he snapped in a low tone. They exchanged odd glances before he realized there was a letter sitting on top of his toast. "Oh, hey."

"Chocolate frogs!" Charlie exclaimed as his attention returned to his package. "Yes!"

Rhys chuckled quietly before opening the envelope and reading the neat cursive of his mother's handwriting. As expected she was wondering if he had gotten any sleep, if he had seen anything, and if he had asked Regina for help if he was overwhelmed. He felt mildly irritated at the fact that this kept being brought up despite his efforts to forget the whole thing. However, telling her that he did not place a lot of faith in his dreams was not an easy task, especially coming from another Elwyn. Though, surprisingly enough, the last lines of her letter were what both captivated and confused him at the same time.

_Congratulations on being Sorted into Gryffindor, my love. We couldn't be more proud._

The sound of tearing paper brought him back from his elated thoughts as he looked over at Finn who was holding a gold circular item. "What is that?"

"It's an astrolabe," Finn explained, "I've seen my mum use it before. She says she wants me to have one for Astronomy."

"But we don't need one," he stated, pondering the objective of such a small trinket.

"I know. But she's taught me a lot about the sky, and I asked her for one when I was little just to play with," he explained with a contented smile as he fiddled with the small object. "She always remembers."

"Do you mind if I sit here?" a small voice asked, making them look back to see Rebecca smiling at them.

"You're late, McCormick," Charlie greeted while seeming a bit shocked.

"I got lost," she admitted sheepishly as she took a seat next to Finn.

They all got situated and comfortable with small talk across the table before he heard someone ask about what their first class would be.

"Potions," Charlie answered, seeming particularly pleased.

It was the first bit of good news he had heard all morning. When he was younger he recalled many days and nights spent with no one other than his sister while his parents were out, both having something important to do elsewhere. More often than not, he wandered into their library which had shelves that reached the ceiling filled with a plethora of books. Out of curiosity he had began his own studies of the magical world, though quickly finding that books about charms and spells did him no good as he was too young to test anything out. Potions, however, was a topic that had interested him from the beginning, and before he knew it he had read through all of the old Potions books kept by his mother before he even received his letter from Hogwarts.

As he tucked his letter away, reminding himself to write back when he had time later that night, Finn leaned closer to him, making Rhys shift his eyes over to stare at him hesitantly.

"Why are you afraid of owls, Rhys?"

He exhaled deeply through his nose to retain his composure as he turned to look back down at the eggs that no longer looked appetizing. Regardless, he gathered some onto his fork before he simply muttered, "They bite."

"Only if you let them, my lord," a boy whispered from behind him, making Rhys whirl around to glare at Linneus as he passed them.

The boy looked back at him with light brown eyes and a mischievous grin before exiting the Great Hall with a group of other third years. Rhys huffed to himself with a roll of his eyes, standing up with the rest of his housemates to get ready for their first class.

As they entered the dungeon's corridor, silence swept over them. Their hurried footsteps echoed off the stone walls as the air around them became progressively icier the further they ventured.

"Bonjour, my young lord!" a familiar voice exclaimed into the stillness of the air, making Rhys and the others turn around to see a group of Hufflepuffs trailing behind them.

Finn and Charlie both glanced at the Elwyn with raised brows, probably confused at her playful use of formality, but he didn't really care. He was more thankful to know that Anna had Potions with him as well. "Good morning, Anna," he greeted as he waited for her to catch up to him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Oui, my lord!" She answered with an affirmative nod. "Iz my lord ready for our firs' class togesser?"

"Definitely," he replied as they approached the classroom door. "I know that Potions is going to be my favorite subject."

"Mine too," Charlie added eagerly as they entered the room. "It's hard not to be excited after all that my father has accomplished."

"What does your father do?" Rhys asked

"He's written a few books," Charlie explained. "Maybe you've seen them? By Oliver Grisham."

"_Oliver_ Grisham?" he questioned in bewilderment as they took their seats.

"Iz 'e anosser great Potions Master?"

Before Rhys could answer he pursed his lips together as the door towards the front of the room opened silently. The teacher stepped in, revealing the same pitiless stare he encountered the night before, making his chest deflate with disappointment before the teacher tapped his wand against his cauldron, hushing the remaining chatter as everyone's attention was drawn to him. When the man was standing he looked particularly tall with sharp dark eyes that peered down at each of them through his glasses.

"Welcome to Potions," he announced, his expression turning to more of a slight scowl as he continued. "My name is Isaac Wesley. You will address me as Professor Wesley, or sir. This term I will teach you the very basics of the art of potion making as to prepare you for their dangers, uses, and advantages out in the wizarding world. Any questions?"

It sounded more like a threat than an open invitation, so they all remained silent. Already, Rhys's stomach felt a tight pull of apprehension as he continued to stare up at the professor. How could someone who was meant to guide all of them be so standoffish from the get go? He wanted to enjoy the school year especially during the class he had been looking forward to since his acceptance to Hogwarts. He'd be damned if he let this man's attitude dictate the outcome of his first day. Rhys shook his head as he took out some parchment to prepare himself for notes. Optimism was all he needed at this point.

"Right then. Now, let's start off with a little trivia to see what you know. You, stand." He called with a quick point of his wand to Charlie, who practically jumped from his seat.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Grisham, sir." Charlie answered with a short cough to clear his throat. Rhys could tell he was nervous; his hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"Tell me one of the most common dangers of brewing a potion incorrectly," he demanded as he leaned back against his desk with his arms crossed. This man looked too arrogant for words; it made Rhys want to scoff and leave the room altogether.

"Um," Charlie said, clearing his throat again, "Burns."

Wesley twirled his wand, gesturing that he wanted Charlie to keep talking. "More specifically?"

"Mixing improper ingredients can cause unnatural acids to occur, which can burn the skin and possibly melt through metal cauldrons, especially pewter."

"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor. You," he said with another point across the room. "Name?"

"Saxon, sir," the Slytherin boy answered with an overly self-satisfied tone.

"Tell me the difference between a concoction and a brew."

"A concoction is a mixture of dry ingredients, sir, while a brew is a liquid mixture."

"Five points to Slytherin. Well done," Professor Wesley nodded before pointing to the girl sitting beside Anna, who stood up nervously twiddling her thumbs. "Your name, girl?"

"Findler, sir," she answered sternly, though her eyes were moving about the room in a frantic panic of anticipation.

"Give me the three common ways of brewing."

After a brief pause she nodded. "Soaking, boiling - and steeping," she spoke slowly, as if the effort to force the words from her mouth was strenuous.

"Well done, Ms. Findler. Five points to Hufflepuff. Next," he said. "And your name, miss?"

"Harrington," a girl answered with a proud smile that made Rhys roll his eyes. A typical Ravenclaw.

"Can you give me one of the base ingredients to a standard antidote?"

"A bezoar," she replied immediately, "They're used in all antidotes, as they are the most common ingredient with the property to flush out toxins. Also, in a dire emergency, one can simply swallow a bezoar to negate the effects of a poison if no prepared antidote is present."

"Excellent, ten points to Ravenclaw for the brilliant addition to your answer as well," he said with a slight hint of a smile playing on his lips. "That's definitely a topic we'll be studying today. Now, the first thing you'll want to know in potion making is how to brew the _simplest_ of antidotes, as they can be the most useful potions in your cupboards, and in addition to this, a bezoar can be the most essential ingredient you will ever work with. Today, I will be teaching you the proper ways to prepare a bezoar for such potions, so - "

"Sir," Rhys found himself cutting in while he raised his hand before he really knew what he was doing.

The professor stopped, turning slowly as his eyes rested directly on Rhys. Suddenly, all eyes converged on him at once, making him feel overwhelmingly unnerved as he sat up straight.

"Yes?"

"Couldn't you also use Mandrake and Honeywater as a substitute to a bezoar in such potions?" he asked quietly with a nervous glance to all his peers. It wasn't like he was making something up; he was allowed to ask legitimate questions if he wanted.

Professor Wesley crossed his arms once more as he raised a brow in speculation. "And what makes you say that?"

"Well, in Oliver Grisham's _Alternatives to Common Draughts and Elixirs_, he says that in the absence of a bezoar, Mandrake and Honeywater mixed as a concoction before added to a brew can be just as effective of an antidote, if not more so."

"What's your name, boy?" Wesley asked, his incredulity turning into another scowl as he took a step forward.

"Elwyn, sir," he answered curtly, disliking the teacher's derisive tone as their conversation continued.

"Well, _Mr. Elwyn_, I see no need to revert to such _alternatives_ when brewing a simple antidote in the First Year Potions course. Furthermore, a bezoar has far more magical properties as an antidote than Mandrake."

"But when mixed with Honeywater, Mandrake gains similar properties, so it could be used just the same, am I wrong?" he retorted against his better judgment. Rhys knew that there was no need to deepen this into an argument, but the way the teacher reacted only made him angrier.

"Have you ever seen an antidote with such substituted ingredients administered to someone under the effects of a poison?" Professor Wesley interrupted.

"No, but - "

"So you would agree, then, that you are hardly qualified to make such a claim in this matter?"

"Well - "

"In any sense, are you _capable_ of brewing such an antidote with the alternative ingredients, in this _highly advanced_ Potions class, Mr. Elwyn? When I assume you've _clearly_ had the practice to work with such a simple and common ingredient as a bezoar? I have yet to even teach you the basics of how to brew such a potion, seeing as you've interrupted me in the middle of that precise lesson on your _first day_."

Rhys couldn't bring himself to answer that. His face had become unbearably hot and the air was so tense that it was almost suffocating.

"Well?" the teacher continued.

"No, _sir_," he snapped through gritted teeth.

After putting his wand into his robes, Professor Wesley advanced toward the first year with an intimidating stride that made Rhys hold his breath as he approached. He remained perfectly still as the teacher leaned down to eye level with him, his gaze as sharp and as daunting as ever, but Rhys was determined to keep his wits about him and stared back at him with a calm expression.

"Do you even know the proper ratio for such ingredients to be used, Mr. Elwyn?" The question came off as more of a taunt, but he could do little more than reply.

"No, sir."

"Very well, then. I suggest you sit down and let me continue the lesson, with the _simple_ task of studying a _bezoar_ and its _properties_."

Rhys took his seat, slowly, glaring back at the teacher until he finally turned around, relieving the pressure that had come down over the entire room. He let himself breathe comfortably as he turned all of his focus on his parchment, ignoring the other students who were, undoubtedly, still staring at him.

"Now, although I do greatly respect the research and practices of Mr. Oliver Grisham, we will not be studying any of his lessons at the _present time_," Professor Wesley emphasized, though Rhys ignored his indignant tone and continued to scribbled away at the parchment . "So, if you would all open your books to the first chapter, we can start the lesson over."

The classroom soon filled with background noises of muffled chatter and flipping pages as the regular class resumed once more.

"And Mr. Elywn," Professor Wesley added before he put the chalk to the board. "See me after the lesson."

_What an asshole._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Rhys stood at the front of Professor Wesley's desk awkwardly as the remaining students filtered out of the room. He was glad to know that he, in fact, understood the subject better than he anticipated, though the satisfaction was quick to wear off as the teacher took his seat, not once looking up at him. His skin was becoming hot once more as the anger built up slowly at such an arrogant demeanor, but he forced himself to calm down and wait patiently for the teacher to speak up.

"You'll be coming back here after all of your classes to serve detention, is that clear?"

"WHAT?" And his patience had dissipated in an instant. "You can't do that!"

"Oh, but I can, Mr. Elwyn," Professor Wesley retorted bitterly as his eyes trailed up to meet his. "That's the beauty about being a _teacher_, having the authority to give haughty brats, like yourself, detention."

"I haven't done anything wrong!"

"First, you speak out of turn, interrupt my class with irrelevant claims—"

"They're _not_ irrelevant! It's something anyone in Potions should know!"

"The _point_ being that it's not fundamental knowledge, Mr. Elwyn," Wesley interjected again, seeming slightly more annoyed. "Your constant arguing with me on the matter isn't helping your case."

He bit his tongue once more, stifling all the colorful things he would have liked to have called this demon of a teacher. Silently he waited, glaring into the other man's eyes as if both were challenging the other to a battle of wits, but it was hardly a battle at this point.

"You may leave."

He whirled around on his heels as he stormed out the door to meet the others. "Detention! That's ridiculous!" He hissed as his hands tightened around his bag strap. "On my first day! How _dare_ he do this to me!"

"It's not like it's the end of the world, mate," Charlie spoke with a reassuring smile, "It's only one detention, right?"

Though his frustration was getting the better of him, those words alone coming from someone else was enough to keep his complaints to a low grumble. It was not often that someone would go out of their way to make him feel comforted, so he might as well oblige the kindness by calming himself down.

"Come on," Rebecca called to them as she began to walk out of the dungeon, "We have to head to the greenhouse next for Herbology."

"I'm going to fail this term for sure," Finn whimpered as his shoulders sank in defeat.

"It's not so bad," Rebecca assured as they continued walking.

It was becoming harder to concentrate on their conversation when he still felt so flustered and slightly panicked. What would happen if his parents found out that he got detention on his first day? What would Regina say about it? Or was this something that they didn't have to know? In the back of his mind, he sincerely hoped so. How else was he supposed to prove that he was on the right track by being Sorted into Gryffindor? Everything he had been doing went against his family's traditions and all he had to show for it was a detention sentence.

"I guess that's not too bad," Finn's sigh broke into his troubled thoughts, making Rhys look up from the ground to see where he was being led.

"Nice job on your first day, Elwyn," a proud voice jeered, making him flinch at the thought of who it could have been. Regardless, he kept his gaze forward as he continued to walk past the others who had turned back to look. "Trying to outsmart the teachers already?"

"Fuck off, Saxon," Rhys spat back venomously, feeling no need to hold back his resentment from the other boy as he turned around to scowl at him.

The taller Slytherin boy glared back at him in disbelief, obviously not used to being spoken to in such a way, and that was fine. Regardless of his pride he had already proven that he was not deserving of the formalities that had been instilled in him. There was a brief moment of silence that passed by, but Rhys held his ground as the other gathered himself to reply.

"Big words, Elwyn," he muttered almost threateningly, "Let's see you try them again."

"Leave him alone," Finn broke into their conversation as Charlie quickly stepped between them, making Loki take a step back to keep his personal space.

Slowly, he drew his attention back to the smaller boy behind him, making Rhys want to cut in again, but Charlie put his arm in front of him. What the hell was Finn thinking? This was not his battle to fight and Rhys felt perfectly capable of sending the other boy off. What was there to gain by drawing the attention away?

"There's no problem with you, _Rowland_," he said, "Why don't you butt out?"

"Because Rhys's business is my business," he answered slowly, trying to sound calm.

For a moment he was dumbstruck. It was clear he was only making it his business, but what for? Perhaps, these people were becoming more attached than he anticipated, which meant that Finn was actually sticking up for him.

"Clearly. Standing in front of your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Finn hissed.

"What's your issue, Saxon? Think one of us pissed in your juice this morning?" He asked in order to draw the argument back to him. Regardless of Charlie's muttered warning, he was not about to let Finn get involved with such a creep. It was the least he could do.

"At least I'm smart enough to _not_ outsmart the teacher on my first day. You're such a typical Elwyn," Loki countered indignantly.

"Like you know anything about my family," Rhys snapped.

"I know enough about them," he mocked as he turned away from Finn. "You should pick better friends. Two half-bloods and an Auror's son who would do anything to betray the name of wizard? You're on a roll already, aren't you?" Finn winced at the boy's words, making Loki's expression turn to a threatening sneer.

"Sax!" a voice echoed across the hall, making them all snap back to attention.

"A bumbling band like you four has definitely lowered my expectations for this school," he chuckled cynically. "It's pathetic."

Even his stride as he walked away was arrogant, and Rhys could do little more than stare after him as he gritted his teeth. He could feel eyes on him but his body instinctively tense up with all the pent of frustration he had yet to express.

"Blimey," Charlie whistled, "He sure got your robes in a twist."

"What gives, Rhys?" Finn asked a bit anxiously. "And what did he mean, Auror's son betraying the name of wizard?"

"My mum's an Auror," he answered curtly, "Clearly she sent someone away that he disapproves of." Finally, he let go of his bag strap, allowing his body to relax as he straightened himself out and began walking across the courtyard.

He wasn't about to do them any favors by lingering there. In fact, he was more afraid of snapping at them on accident than actually getting into a fight. It was the last thing they deserved, but he also had no energy left to try and explain things to them. The fact that he was an Elwyn never crossed their minds; in fact, they seemed downright clueless, but that comforted him. That meant that what Finn and Charlie did for him was out of kindness and actual concern for him. For that, he did not mind where they came from.

"My lord, I've never seen you act so unseemly."

"Linneus, was it?" he mumbled dryly as he kept his pace. The other boy kept a fair distance as he walked alongside him. "Is there something you wanted?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Do I _look_ okay to you?" he snapped, glaring over at Linneus just as his eyes turned from orange to a light pale green.

"No, my lord," he admitted with a faint sigh. "Forgive my rudeness." With a wordless bow Linneus began to turn back.

"Wait! Your eyes!" he called after the blonde hastily, feeling guilty for having snapped at him.

Linneus turned his head, though the colors were indistinguishable as they began to swirl. "What about them?"

"The colors mean something, don't they?"

A faint smile quickly spread on the boy's lips as his eyes settled into a dark shade of green. "A valid question, my lord. Let me know if you ever figure it out."

He couldn't help but offer a small smile as well before he continued walking toward the greenhouse. Though the stress and inhibition from before only made him frown once more, it was nice to be able to put a smile on someone's face, even if it was only necessary because he was making an ass of himself. In a way, Linneus was becoming closer to him like the others, or at least he was trying.

When he entered the greenhouse he immediately noticed Anna on the other side of the room who offered him a nervous smile in greeting. Of course she had seen him act that way, the others probably had no idea how to approach him now that he had shown one of his uglier qualities. He could not even think of anything to say when they arrived at the greenhouse, standing next to him as they put their bags on the floor..

"I heard Professor Longbottom's supposed to be great," Rebecca spoke casually, earning a nod from Charlie before a loud tap made the students go quiet.

"Good morning, first years!" The professor greeted from the other end of a long wooden table. He smiled proudly, a clear gap in his teeth, with dark and tired eyes. The man was completely covered in bits of earth that stuck to his clothes and even matted his brown hair.

"I'm Professor Longbottom, welcome to Greenhouse One. Now, today I had a lesson all planned out for you, but unfortunately, I've got a bit of a slug problem in one of my crops. So, for today, you'll be getting a bit more hands-on than I had planned for this lesson."

Rhys glanced at the others who seemed just as confused as he was.

"Now, how many of you have read through our book for this class?"

There were few incoherent murmurs, making Professor Longbottom run his dirt covered hand through his hair. "All right. Well, we'll get to that, then. I want everyone to get their wands out. Can I have a few volunteers to help me bring out some of these pots?"

A few students, including Rebecca stepped forward, following each other to the back of the greenhouse.

"A bit unprepared, don't you think?" Charlie mumbled quietly, earning a small chuckle from Finn.

Each student came back with large planters in hand, setting them along the tables before running back to get more. In a line, the teacher and the students came trudging back in with several large planters, and they were set along the large wooden table that ran down the entire span of the greenhouse.

There were bright indigo colored flowers in each planter, giving off a faint fragrance that seemed to entice Finn to reach out his hand.

Charlie took hold of the boy's hand with a shake of his head."Don't touch it. That's aconite."

"It's not poisonous to touch," Loki's voice called to them from down the table, making Rhys's anger resurface almost immediately..

"It's toxic to any porous skin," he snapped back, refraining from looking at the boy, "Like _fingers_. Idiot."

After each table was lined with planters, Professor Longbottom returned to the front of the room with a few short pants for air before he spoke up over all their chatter. "All right. Now, since we'll be working with our hands today, I hope everyone brought their gloves. Yes?"

Rhys wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead before reaching into his bags to shuffle around for his gloves. The air was becoming increasingly stuffy with the humidity sticking to their skin as the temperature was on the rise.

"Gloves on? All right. Now, can anyone tell me what plant you're looking at?" He asked as he pulled his own dirtied gloves over his hands.

Rhys opened his mouth to speak only to hear Loki's voice announce, hastily, "Aconite, sir." He held in an exasperated groan as he drummed his fingers against the table as Slytherin was awarded five points.

"Very good. Now, I'm sure many of you are going to learn about the aconite plant in your Potions classes, but you'll hear it from me first, seeing as I've got a little problem. Aconite, also commonly called monkswood, or the wolfsbane plant, is a very common ingredient in potion making. Can be highly poisonous if not handled properly, which is why I've got you all with your gloves on."

Rhys could not help but stick his tongue out at Loki while he was looking down at his plant, earning a chuckle from Finn and Charlie.

"Unfortunately for my stock of aconite here, it slipped my mind to put slug repellant on them last night. So, I'm going to assign jobs to each of you for today, and ten points will go to whichever house finishes their tasks the quickest and most efficiently."

Everyone seemed to snap back to attention at the idea of competition. As they split up into the four houses, eager smiles were seen as each house eyed the other with confidence. Loki looked especially cocky as the Slytherin table huddled together while Professor Longbottom gave them each large pots.

"All right, I want a couple of you around the pot, and the rest of you, dig for slugs!"

Rhys quickly found a spot by a planter, grabbing chunks of soil and turning it over, moving his fingers around in the dirt to feel around for any slugs. Several girlish squeals began to sound throughout the greenhouse as some girls from each house dropped the slimly creatures onto the floor, too disgusted to touch the dirt again.

"No, not on the floor!" the professor shouted, "In the pot! Throw the slugs into the pots! Quickly, now, come on!"

He could not help but chuckle to himself as he watched some of the girls shut their eyes tightly as they peeled each slug from the floor. His eyes caught Anna's on the other side of the room and she flashed another contagious smile to him as she held up a wriggling slug with both of her hands triumphantly. As she tossed it into her pot she stuck her tongue out playfully at him before quickly sinking her hands into the dirt again. Rhys laughed once more as he continued to dig further, pulling the resistant creatures from the soil and tossing them into the pot. As the competition went on, Professor Longbottom began to walk along each table to inspect the pots which, as far as Rhys could tell, was nearly full with slugs.

"All right, now, those of you not digging, here's your task. And I want you to speak very clearly when you do this, and focus really hard, I don't want you burning down my greenhouses." Rhys looked up with curiosity, wondering what kind of task the others were to perform. "This is why you've got your wands out. Now, watch closely as I do this."

He walked up to the large pot between Charlie and the other girl. With a wave of his wand pointed down into the pot he said calmly, "_Incendio_."

A bright wisp of an orange flame spiraled down into the pot, burning all the slugs into nothing more than black crisps that dissolved into the air. They stared in awe as they gripped their wands eagerly, though still seemed slightly anxious.

"Got it? It's easy, go on, just try it out. You do it calmly, and think _small_."

As the teacher walked away, Charlie looked to the girl nervously. "Well, after you."

Rhys smiled to himself before he returned to his digging. The day was already getting better.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

In the end, Ravenclaw had taken the ten points, leaving Rhys only slightly dejected as the lesson came to an end. Charlie was also awarded five points for being so quick to learn the Fire-Making Spell, which was redeeming enough for Gryffindor. The class, altogether, had been eventful as he waged silent war between Anna and him while several students worked hard on not setting themselves on fire. Though they were learning the spell weeks in advance he appreciated Professor Longbottom's trust in the students, especially on their first day.

He jotted short notes as reminders of the two short essays due before he shuffled over to Anna's table, catching her just before she left. He wanted to make up for the unsightly behavior she must have seen from him when he was confronted by Loki earlier. Even during class he must have come off as overly contemptuous, but he did not want that energy to be focused towards people like Linneus, Anna, or any of the others who had only showed him kindness. He was determined to make it up to all of them.

"Comment allez-vous?" Anna asked with an inviting smile as she pulled her bag over her shoulder.

"Très bien, merci! I'm doing a lot better, now," he admitted, offering a small grin as they walked out of the humid greenhouse and into the fresh open air.

"Zat iz good to hear, my lord," she giggled, "Would my lord like to come wit me to ze Great Hall?"

"I'd love to."

"Are you sure?" She asked as she tilted her head. "My lord still looks so tired. Would you like to rest instead?"

"I'm fine," he assured with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I was just nervous so I couldn't get much sleep."

"I see," she replied with another lighthearted chuckle, "I am honored for your company, my lord!"

"You really don't have to call me that," he whispered as he felt his face become incredibly warm. He would receive another awkward stare from someone every time she called him that. "I'm not anyone special."

"You do not 'ave to lie to moi," she stated as she wagged her index finger in front of him. "But I will not ask you to tell me if it bosserz you so much. Besides..." she trailed off, looking up to the sky thoughtfully as they crossed the courtyard. "Being a young lord suits you. I s'ought zat even when I first met you."

Her smile was always so genuine that he found himself always captivated by her energetic optimism that seemed to latch on to anyone who looked at her. Though she seemed a bit odd at times, he felt that he was being drawn to her and her kind nature. She along with Finn and the others were all becoming people that he was glad to have met.

"And who iz your friend?" She asked with a point to his pocket.

Ynid had finally woken up and was attempting to climb up Rhys's sweatshirt. He chuckled as he grabbed the rat and set it in his palm to hold him out to her. "This is Ynid. Ynid, this is Anna."

Anna leaned in close to inspect the groggy animal before receiving a soft lick to her nose. She giggled delightedly as Rhys set Ynid on his shoulder where the rat stood on his back legs in order to bury his nose into Rhys's silky hair. A small sneeze sounded next to his ear before Ynid finally began to wander between his shoulders comfortably. He smiled at Anna who seemed almost mesmerized .

"I 'ave never seen a rat zo well behaved."

* * *

><p>Anna invited him to sit with her in the Great Hall as they entered, and she took the time to introduce him to the lot of friends that she had made overnight. He had promised her that he would introduce her to the others one day, as well, but they were already too comfortable to move. He couldn't help but wonder what they all were talking about over at the Gryffindor table.<p>

"Zis Defense of ze Dark Arts should be fun, no?" She asked as she leaned over to read the introduction chapter to the book over Rhys's shoulder.

He shrugged in reply though he felt a bit nervous to be entering a class that actually had to do with magic application. A frown suddenly made him furrow his brow as he remembered that after class he was to report to the dungeons for detention. The thought alone was already beginning to wear on his renewed confidence and was quickly replacing it with frustration once he recalled Professor Wesley's harsh words.

"Something the matter, my lord?" a familiar voice asked from behind them before Rhys felt a pair of arms rest heavily on top of his head.

"You're pushing it, Gale," he muttered as he swatted the other boy away.

"Ah! Bonjour, Linneus!" Anna exclaimed as she beckoned him to take the empty seat next to Rhys. "Avoir un siège!"

"Merci," he thanked as he slipped onto the bench, much to Rhys's displeasure.

Though he noted that the blonde's intentions were good enough, he still came off as someone who just liked to tease him for the fun of it, though the intent was not as spiteful as it would seem. He glanced over at Linneus whose eyes were a dark navy blue color. He tried to calculate the boy's reaction though he seemed to be acting the same as always.

"How was class for my favorite first years?" He asked as he leaned against the table, resting his chin in his palm.

"Fantastiques!" Anna squealed with an eager clap. "I cannot wait for our next class togesser! It will be so much fun!"

"I suppose so," Rhys added wryly, utterly failing to match her enthusiasm once again.

"Oh? Could the rumors be true that my lord has landed in detention on his first day?" Rhys felt his brow twitch at the mention before he stared back down at his textbook. "I see! So that explains why you're in such a dreary mood today!"

He slammed his hand down on the table as he sat up to glare at the boy whose eyes went from dark blue to a swirling green. At this chance, Ynid walked down the length of Rhys's arms and hopped down onto the table, finding comfort in Anna's hands. "If you have enough time to listen to these _rumors_, I suggest you use your free time to do something other than bug me with them!"

Linneus's eyes finally settled into a light pale green, trying to study the younger boy's face for some kind of clue for what to do next. "My lord, I only heard this on my way here. I wanted to see if you were doing alright."

"Well, I'm not alright! In fact, I'm quite the opposite of alright!"

"Perhaps," Linneus began as he closed his eyes slowly, "you should confide in people about what ails you rather than bite the heads off of the ones who are merely concerned."

As he stood and walked away Rhys stared after him, mentally kicking himself repeatedly for losing his composure once again. It seemed that whenever that happened, Linneus happened to be in the direct line of fire, and Rhys was beginning to hate himself for that. Even though he wanted to call out, the boy had already rejoined his friends at the Gryffindor table, leaving Rhys to wonder what color his eyes had turned before he walked away.

* * *

><p>The room was filling quickly soon after Rhys and Anna had taken their seats. Her prediction was correct about students being excited to start Defense Against the Dark Arts, so they had left the Great Hall a bit earlier in order to get good seats at the front. He felt his stomach churning as his nerves began to make him tremble slightly from the excitement. He didn't get the chance to use a spell in Herbology (which he fully intended to try later) and was curious to know who would be the teacher. Regina had told him, after her second year at Hogwarts, that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position used to go through a new teacher every year. It was a haphazard tradition that had come to end in recent years.<p>

"Is everyone seated?" a loud voice filled the room, making everyone go silent to search for the speaker at the front of the room. "All right then."

A loud slam made them jump slightly in their seats as the teacher came around to face them, giving them another moment to take in his appearance. He had vibrant orange hair that glowed like fire in the light; there was something vaguely familiar about the trait that put Rhys into a deep state of thought. There were long scars that trailed down the side of his face, shining slightly against his pale complexion and continued down into the collar of his shirt. The students stared at him in both bewilderment and awe, not daring to speak in fear of possibly disturbing the faint tension in the air.

"Good afternoon, class. I'm your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, nice to meet you all. As I'm sure most of your professors have done by now, let's start the class off with a little trivia and introduction." His voice carried an overwhelming sense of kindness, making the room heave a silent sigh of relief in light of his gentle smile. "Now, when I call you, I'll ask you to stand, introduce yourself, and tell me at least one thing you know about the subject to be taught in this class, or thereabouts. I'll start."

Rhys could have sworn he heard a small scoff but decided to ignore it in case he found out who it was.

"My name is Bill Weasely," he greeted with a carefree smile as he twirled his wand slightly. "And one thing I know is how to perform the Wand-Lighting Spell."

A Weasely! Of course! Rhys nodded to himself at the recognition of the man's name. It was a popular name among other wizards and he had heard it several times from each of his parents. Their families had a fairly good standing with each other and Rhys could always pick them out because of their red hair.

Suddenly, the tip of his wand was pointed at Rhys, making the boy jump up from his seat.

"Name?" He asked encouragingly with a gesture from his wand.

"Rhys Elwyn, sir," he mumbled his last name though he seemed to smirk faintly at the sound. "And I have read about the Stunning Spell; it can knock back offenders or even render them unconscious."

"Ah! A useful charm indeed, especially when used during a duel," Professor Weasely mused with an affirmative nod. "Well done, Mr. Elwyn. And you, miss?"

Anna stood as he sat down, offering a short wave to the teacher before she spoke. "Bonjour, professor. My name iz Anna Delano and one of ze things zat we will learn in zis class is about poisonous potions."

He felt caught off by the statement as he stared up at her assured smile and the professor nodded in agreement. Though it was not off topic or uncalled for, he still felt a strange sense of dread when she mentioned it. He remembered the hisses of the snakes as they had closed in on him in his dreams making his shudder for a moment as she took her seat and the introductions continued.

"My name is Charlie Grisham..." the familiar voice brought Rhys's attention to the boy a few seats behind him. "I'm not sure what to say sir, but can I ask a question instead?"

"Of course. Questions are the best thing a student has to offer, what have you got?"

"Is it true that you were in the Battle of Hogwarts?"

That was another reason the name had sounded so familiar. It was not unheard of amongst other wizards because the Weasely family had all taken arms against the Dark Lord and his army. The thought of such a battle was enough to make him shiver once more as he looked to the teacher, anticipating his answer.

"Yes, I was. Can't say I've heard that in quite some time," he replied with a smile.

"Well, I remember the Weasely name," Charlie admitted.

"A good name to remember," the teacher stated, "And a good part of history to remember as well. What can you tell me about it?"

There was a pause. "Well, I know that it took a long time for the school to be rebuilt. And it was a battle against the Dark Lord Voldemort."

"Indeed, it was, and you'll learn more of it in Professor Binns's class, I'd wager. Tell you what. Give me the name of one witch or wizard that was in that same battle, and I'll give you five points for Gryffindor."

"What about Fenrir Greyback?" the familiar voice cut in before Charlie could answer, making Rhys roll his eyes before he glared back at Loki. He noticed, too, that Finn was sitting right next to him. "Isn't he the one that gave you those messed up scars on your face?"

What a prick! Rhys scowled at him though the boy did not seem to notice. Why would someone deliberately ask that question? At this point, coming from Loki, he was learning to not be surprised.

"Yes, he did," he answered with a short nod, "Fenrir Greyback was a Death Eater who attacked me."

"Wasn't Greyback a werewolf?" The nervous question lingered in the stillness of the air as everyone remained silent.

"Yes he was," Professor Weasely affirmed with a small smile beginning to curve his lips again, "But he was not so when he attacked me."

"So?" Loki snapped, making Rhys clench his fists in order to keep from shouting at him. This guy just didn't know when to shut up.

"When a werewolf that is not transformed attacks a victim, they do not inherit the full trait of the werewolf, therefore during the full moon, they will not transform into the beast as the attacker would. Thankfully, I only obtained these scars instead. So, on my honor," he added, raising his right hand, "You have nothing to fear from me."

"However, you'll learn more about werewolves in your third year. As first years, you're not to learn about magical beasts yet. Consider that a surprise lesson. Now, have I missed anyone?"

Rhys tried to ignore the rest of the students until Loki had finally gone. He couldn't bring himself to look back at him anymore for fear of wanting to outright deck him. Never had he met someone that instilled so much rage in him, and that was beginning to worry him. If he did not learn to calm down he would inevitably take it out on the ones who actually meant well. At last, he listened to Finn talk about a boggart found in his basement some years ago, which was intriguing to say the least.

"All right, all done then? Excellent. Today, we will be learning the Wand-Lighting Spell that I spoke of earlier. Can any of you tell me the incantation to perform this spell?"

"_Lumos_," he answered as he raised his hand automatically.

"Très bien, my lord," Anna whispered quickly, making it hard not to smile as he straightened his posture.

"Very good, five points to Gryffindor," the teacher smiled. "You'll find this information in section two of the first chapter. Now, if you'll all take out your wands, we'll begin practicing the proper wand movements. Pay attention, everyone. Mr. Saxon, shoes off of the desk, if you please."

He took out his wand hurriedly, glancing at Anna's to realize he did not recognize the dark red color of the wood. They faced the front of the room as he studied and mimicked the teacher as he led them through the spell.

"Well done, Mr. Grisham! On my count again, everyone!"

Rhys smiled to himself as they continued to practice, glad that it was Charlie who was making great progress. A brief light flickered next to him before Anna waved her wand once more.

"_Lumos_!" She enunciated perfectly before the light remained on completely.

"Wow, Anna," he whispered in between incantations. "That's brilliant!"

"Merci, my lord," she giggled as they continued the lesson.

By the end of the lesson Rhys had almost convinced himself that he would come to love the class more than potions purely based on the atmosphere Professor Weasely had created. He was laid back, charming, and engaged the entire class without having to come off as an authoritative prick. Unlike _someone _he could recall. He cringed upon remembering that he was to report to the dungeons without being able to enjoy his free time on his first day.

"Well done to everyone today, and ten points to Hufflepuff for Ms. Delano's excellent form. Until next week! And don't forget to write a summary on the first chapter, taking extra care for the section on the differentiations of the Wand-Lighting Spell. I suggest you read over the Introduction chapter as well. One roll of parchment due next Monday!"

Anna ran ahead, promising to meet him at the entrance to the dungeons in a moment, leaving him to pack his bag while he was still deep in thought. The thought of having to even look at that man twice in the same day was frustrating, but he had no other choice. Even so, he could not help but feel a nervous pull in his stomach that almost made him feel faint, as if he were suddenly in danger.

A loud thud brought his attention back up to notice that Loki had just slammed Finn into the stone wall, no doubt pushing the boy out of his way. Rhys gripped his bag strap tightly as he quickened his pace to catch up to the rest of them, glaring after Loki hatefully.

"You think maybe you shouldn't provoke him, Finn?" Rebecca asked with a sigh. She had probably dealt with enough confrontation in one day.

"Ah, leave him alone, he's obviously got a streeler up his bum," Rhys huffed angrily, turning his attention back to Finn to make sure he was okay.

"Dark wizards tend to stay close to each other," Charlie muttered, "He's probably known them since he was a baby, the way his parents must be."

"You make them sound like Death Eaters," Finn chuckled nervously, trying to brush the uncomfortable subject off.

"Well, not _them_," Charlie offered with a shrug.

"Just their families," He found himself muttering. "Anyway. I'm going to go meet Anna before my 'detention' with Professor Snark-a-lot. See you guys at dinner?"

"Yeah," Charlie smiled.

"See you later, Rhys," Finn waved to him as he walked ahead toward the dungeon, hoping to catch up to Anna soon.

His mother had always told him to keep himself from making such prejudice assumptions, regardless of family history. She should have known better than anyone that those who affiliated themselves with the Dark Arts did not only do it for themselves, but for their family as well. He tried to heed her preaching, but in cases like Loki's he was not about to spare him the benefit of the doubt.


End file.
